Bee House Teapot in Noble Black

I’m not much of a coffee person. In fact, I think I can count how many cups of coffee I’ve ever drunk. But I am a tea person. I drink a lot of tea and have many types. At any given time, I usually have more than a dozen loose leaf teas: green, oolong, black, some flavored. As one might also expect, I also have an affinity toward a nice teapot.

Bee House is made by Zero Japan, a Japanese company, and it is one on fine teapot. Little do many people know, it is possible to be excited about a teapot. This really falls under my love of design. Bee House's minimalistic teapots are made out of high grade ceramic and come in many wonderful colors. Being the minimalist I am, I went with the 26oz noble black—a matte black finish that reminds me of carbon fiber than pottery.

Smooth to the touch, it not only looks fantastic, it feels great too. While functionally a teapot can do it job really well, part of good design, especially when it is something one will touch, the tactility of said object is very important. It not only adds comfort to an already ergonomic design but also one wants to use it—keep it clean, functional, and share it with others. And, tea, after all, is meant to be shared so should the experience of tea serving.

The top is metal and clips on. Easy to remove, one can clean it and the pot itself separately. Inside, a metal, mesh basket allows steeping of loose leaf teas.

I have found that this particular ceramic holds heat very well. My old tea pot, also ceramic, would cool much more quickly. One tip, due tot he heat capacity of the pot itself, I tend to steep tea far less time. I use to keep tea in the old pot for hours and never had my tea get too strong. In my Bee House, black teas I rarely steep for more than three minutes, and green or oolong, for five minutes if the water is at the proper temperature. 

It has become a favorite kitchen item of mine. It is not only beautiful and functional but part of my daily life. There are thousands of teapots out there but ever since I saw these round globes at Argo Tea, I’ve loved them. And seeing the noble black in person, I loved them even more. One knows something is great when opening the box and softly saying, “wow.”

Price: $35

Happy Father's Day from the Animal Kingdom

When discussing the dads of the animal kingdom, we hear all about the Emperor Penguin and its fatherly love. Seahorses are also an incredible oddity of the ocean—they carry their young to term. But one animal is commonly forgotten.

The Great Flamingo male is a pink, feminist of a man who not only mates monogamously but also takes equal amounts of responsibility in home preparation (nesting), egg incubation, and raising their young.

A model father to humans and the rest of the animal kingdom, we can't forget the many other fantastic dads out there— so I bid all fathers today, Happy Father's Day!

Check out more about the dads of the world from Africa Geographic.

SIGG Traveller Alu .6L — Minimal Water Bottle

No surprise that I dig SIGG water bottles. They are minimalist, aluminum, simply, and durable. 

Made in Sweden, the bottles are BPA-free bottle is extruded from a single piece of pure aluminium, no seams, highest stability with lowest weight, 100% recyclable, guaranteed to be taste-neutral and resistant to fruit acids and isotonic drinks according to an independent testing institute (Nehring, Germany), fulfills FDA requirements (Food & Drug Administration USA), elastic and unbreakable, and a coating that will not peel off, even if dented on the outside. That’s a lot to write but the moral of the story is that they are great bottles.

This particular one is a favorite. While many come in fancy patterns, various stamps, and decorative items attached, this is raw aluminum. Almost as if it were something from the military, the only printing on it is the SIGG logo and the Made in Sweden stamp.

The raw aluminum look, however, is deceiving. There is a high gloss coating to protect the bottle—it is almost glass on the exterior giving it a pleasing touch but also a good grip.

The cap is designed to be used with a carabiner but also is perfect for a single finger. At .6L, it is perfect size for just about any backpack or bag. And the lip on the bottle opening is smooth an comfortable on against one’s lips.

While this is definitely an Adrian’s Gear post, it is also about design. Some water bottles might have more frills and such but as I will admit to every time, design is of utmost importance. SIGG brings something to the table that most water bottles don’t—looks. A lot are just too technical looking, over designed, trying-too-hard details and it turns me off. Sigg, like Apple, keeps it simple and that’s what I really love about it.

As the oceans fill up with trash from humans, I had a personal goal this year—a resolution to us less disposable materials. My EDC spork (Light My Fire), goes with me everywhere to reduce how many plastic forks and such I use. I try to avoid straws and plastic bags, and I keep some reusable produce bags on hand for when I head to the grocery story.

On the other hand, plastic bottles are one of the most common trash items found in the ocean and I try my best to reduce my usage of such items. Carrying a water bottle is great and SIGG bottles last for a very long time. After they have lived out their usefulness, one can easily recycle.

Saving the planet and looking good doing it, if one wants a great water bottle, this is one I’d highly recommend. And if you do want something little more bold than raw aluminum, they come in dozens of colors: white, black, smokey pearl, turquoise, green, royal blue, etc. Check them out and pick one up.

Price: $18